Ejector dispenser and fitment for puncture of hermetically sealed product container



Dec. 5, 1967 R. H. ABPLANALP 3,356,262

EJECTOR DISPENSER AND FITMENT FOR PUNCTURE OF HERMBTICALLY SEALEDPRODUCT CONTAINER Filed Oct. 10, 1966 I 1Z.\ I IR ROBERT HENRYABPLANALPF l c. WZQW A T TORNE Y5.

United States Patent This invention has to do with an improveddispensing container of the isolation type having a fitment suitable forpenetrating a hermetically sealed container, which fitment provides aproduct flow line communicating at one end with the product and at theother end with the product flow line within the container. The improveddispensing container is described in United States patent applicationSer. No. 521,885, filed Jan. 20, 1966, in the names of Robert HenryAbplanalp and John Richard Focht, said application being made a part ofthe disclosure herein.

In one form of the dispenser of the above-identified application, aportable dispenser is provided which comprises a container holding agaseous or gasifiable liquid propellant, in the open top of which ismounted a head structure having a valve which normally prevents outflowof the pressurized propellant but, on being opened, permits flow ofpropellant in gaseous (vapor) form to an ejector near the dischargeport. A separate product flow line is provided which communicates withthe exterior of the container, and extends through the container andhead structure to the ejector. By the action at the ejector (sometimescalled a venturi)to which separate flow lines from the product containerand the propellant container are respectively connected, the outflow ofthe propellant when the valve is opened, reduces the pressure in theproduct flow line and a simultaneous outflow of the product is broughtabout. By suitably directing the stream of propellant into contact withthe stream of fluent product, atomization of the product commonly iseffected and a spray discharge is produced.

The subject invention comprises a dispenser of the type described abovehaving a product flow line member, usually extending from the bottom ofthe dispenser, which product flow line member is capable of piercing ahermetically sealed product container. In its preferred form thedispenser has means for venting the product container to the atmosphere.

The appended drawing illustrates the combination.

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of the dispenser and associated productflow line member.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view along the line AA of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, the dispenser 10 holds under pressure a propellant that iseither a gas or, preferably (as shown), a vaporizable liquid 11 of highvolatility such as is commonly used in aerosol dispensers, e.g., afluorinatedchlorinated hydrocarbon such as those sold under the namesFreon and Genetron. In the form shown the propellant container is ofmetal.

To mount the head structure, generally designated at 12, onto thepropellant container 10, the upper part of the propellant container 10is inturned to form a curved bead 13. A mounting cup 14 of conventionalconfiguration is seamed at its upturned rim 15 to the bead 13 by rollingthe rim 15 over the bead 13.

The head structure 12 includes the mounting cup 14, a valve means forcontrol of propellant discharge, a valve actuator, an ejector-atomizer,and a dip tube 16, all of which are described below.

The head structure 12 as here illustrated is basically of the typedescribed in Abplanal United States Patent No. 2,631,814 insofar asconcerns the valve unit proper, its

actuator, the discharge port and the mounting cup, but modified in anovel way to incorporate an ejector-atomizer, a part of the product flowline, and arrangements for isolating the product from the propellantuntil they separately reach the discharge ejector. Details of this headstructure 12 will now be described.

The mounting cup 14, seamed to the bead 13 of the propellant container10, has a conventional central upstanding collar 17 that in a known waymounts a valve unit. The collar 17 surrounds the cylindrical plastichousing 18 of the valve unit and also, by its inturned upper flange 19,holds the outer part of the annular valve gasket 20 in place against theupper rim of the valve housing 18. The valve housing 18 has a centralopening 21 in its bottom wall to provide open communication with thepropellant container 10 beneath; and this bottom wall serves also in aknown way as the fixed abutment for a biasing spring 22 that holds thevertically movable valve body 23, at its upper shoulder, against theunderside of the inboard part of the valve gasket 20, Fixed within acentral bore in the valve body 23, and extending above through thehollow valve stem 24, is a special hollow tube 25 which terminates inthe valve actuator 40 (described below), at a level sub stantially abovethe upper end of the outer part of the valve stem 24.

As in the Abplanalp United States Patent No. 2,631,814, the hollow valvestem 24 is of smaller external diameter than the valve body 23, and hasa neck portion, of still smaller diameter, just above the top shoulderof the valve body 23, this reduced-diameter neck portion being ofgreater height (at the circle defined by the diameter of the valve stem)than the initial thickness of the valve gasket 20. Preferably but notnecessarily the upper part of this neck is tapered in known fashion. Thehollow valve stem 24 has a side port 26, extending through its Wall.That port 26 normally is closed by the inner face of a central openingin the gasket, that opening being of smaller diameter than the neck ofthe valve stem in order to efifect a tight closure for the side port.There is also a seal where the upper shoulder of the valve body 23 ispressed against the underside of the gasket.

The action of the valve is the known one. Until the valve stem and bodyare depressed by manual eifort against the upward biasing force of thespring 22, the valve gasket 20 prevents flow of the propellant into theinterior of the hollow valve stem, and also prevents escape ofpropellant to the atmosphere past the gasket 20. When the valve stem isdepressed, the inner part of the annular gasket 20 is bent or warpeddownwardly until the side port 26 in the valve stem 24 is uncovered Iand a flow passage is opened between the gasket 20 and the uppershoulder of the valve body 23. Propellant then flows through the sideport 26 into the interior of the hollow valve stem 24, and flowsupwardly in the annular space 27 surrounding the specially providedinner tube 25, the role of which is now described.

This tube 25, extending through the valve stem and valve body andmovable therewith, forms a part of the flow line for discharge of theproduct to be dispensed. An extension 16 of the tube 25 passes throughthe central opening 21 in the bottom wall of the valve housing 18, andpasses through the propellant container 10 to exit at the lower part ofthe propellant container 10. There is a sealed joint 28 (of conventionalconstruction in its details) where the tube 16 passes through a tubularextension 29 of the bottom wall of the propellant container 10.

The product flow fitment, generally designated as 30, has a socketportion 31 for snugly receiving a centrally disposed tubular extension29 of the bottom wall of the propellant container 10. The base of thesocket 31 has an annular shoulder 32 having a central perforation 33,

said shoulder 32 acting as a stop for the edge of the tubular extension29 and the tube 16. Extending from the socket 31 and shoulder 32 is ahollow member 34 which tapers to a diameter suitable for puncturing ahermetically sealed product container (not shown).

As shown best in FIG. 2, the outer wall of the hollow member 34 may belongitudinal splines 35 to provide a means for venting the productcontainer during actuation of the dispenser and consequently maintainthe pressure within the product container at atmospheric pressure.Without such a vent, and absent a pressure-generating product,dispensing of product will produce a decrease in pressure within theproduct container.

By action of the discharge ejector (to the described below), flow ofgaseous propellant through the ejector causes a reduction of pressure inthe product flow line established by the opening in member 34, the tube16 and its upper extension 25 with the result that the product is causedto flow up to and through the ejector and out the discharge port in thehead structure.

Turning now to the construction of the valve actuator 40 and itsinterior parts, which form a part of the head structure, it will be seenthat in the illustrative form shown, the actuator has the overallconfiguration and size of a conventional aerosol button used with knowndispensers in which the product and the propellant are held in a singlecontainer and are discharged together through the hollow valve stem whenthe valve stem is depressed by manual pressure on the button. Thedetailed construction of the actuator is described in US. applicationSer. No. 524,527 filed Feb. 2, 1966, in the name of Robert HenryAbplanalp, which application is made a part of the disclosure herein.

Two separated flow lines, for propellant and product respectively, areestablished by passages through the molded part of the head structure 12extending from its lower end (the end that closes the open end of thepropellant container up to the discharge ejector in the actuator 40where the two streams first come together. The lower end of each of thetwo product lines lies within the area of the top opening of thepropellant container.

The propellant flow line to the ejector is established through theopening 21 and passage, the port 26, the annular space 27, the passages41 and 42 to the annular nozzle passage 43'.

The product flow line to the ejector includes the hollow member 34, thetube 16 and the passage 25 which communicates at its upper end with thedischarge nozzle 43.

In operation, the dispenser and fitment is inserted diaphragm with aself-closing slit, or may be a container with a resilient flap valvewhich is a flattened tube depending into the container such that uponremoval of the needle, the tube will reclose.

After the dispenser and fitment have been placed in position on theproduct container, pressure on the actuator 40 causes a downward motionof the valve body 23, thereby moving orifice 26 away from gasket 20.Propellant is then free to pass from the propellant container 10 to thedischarge nozzle 43.

As an alternative construction, the product flow line member may beattached to the propellant container by means other than the frictionfit shown in the drawing. For example, the inside wall of the socketcould be threaded to screw onto a suitably threaded nipple on the bottomwall of the propellant container. The critical construction is that arelatively air-tight seal be made between the dip tube within thepropellant container and the wall defining the opening in the taperedtube so that a partial vacuum. is formed in the product passage of thetapered tube.

I claim:

1. A dispenser, for use in discharging contents of a hermetically sealedproduct container, comprising a propellant container having an open top,a head structure joined to said propellant container to close its opentop, said head structure comprising (a) a discharge ejector, (b)separate passages establishing flow lines to the discharge ejector fromthe lower end of said head structure within the area of the open top ofsaid propellant container, one of said lines being in open communicationat its lower end with said propellant container to permit propellantfiow therethrough, and (c) manually operable valve means for saidpropellant flow line, a product fiow line within the propellantcontainer being in open communication at its upper end with the otherflow line in the head structure and at its lower end extending throughthe wall of the propellant container and a hollow needle-like membersuitable for piercing a hermetically sealed product container attachedto the propellant container in a manner such that one end of the hollowneedle-like member is in open communication with the product flow lineat the place where it emerges from the propellant container.

2'. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the hollow needle-like member hasa longitudinal grooved exterior surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1939 Yirava 22282'X 1/1956Croce 239-308

1. A DISPENSER, FOR USE IN DISCHARGING CONTENTS OF A HERMETICALLY SEALEDPRODUCT CONTAINER, COMPRISING A PROPELLANT CONTAINER HAVING AN OPEN TOP,A HEAD STRUCTURE JOINED TO SAID PROPELLANT CONTAINER TO CLOSE ITS OPENTOP, SAID HEAD STRUCTURE COMPRISING (A) A DISCHARGE EJECTOR, (B)SEPARATE PASSAGES ESTABLISHING FLOW LINES TO THE DISCHARGE EJECTOR FROMTHE LOWER END OF SAID HEAD STRUCTURE WITHIN THE AREA OF THE OPEN TOP OFSAID PROPELLANT CONTAINER, ONE OF SAID LINES BEING IN OPEN COMMUNICATIONAT ITS LOWER END WITH SAID PROPELLANT CONTAINER TO PERMIT PROPELLANTFLOW THERETHROUGH, AND (C) MANUALLY OPERABLE VALVE MEANS FOR SAIDPROPELLANT FLOW LINE, A PRODUCT FLOW LINE WITHIN THE PROPELLANTCONTAINER BEING IN OPEN COMMUNICATION AT ITS UPPER END WITH THE OTHERFLOW LINE IN THE HEAD STRUCTURE AND AT ITS LOWER END EXTENDING THROUGHTHE WALL OF THE PROPELLANT CONTAINER AND A HOLLOW NEEDLE-LIKE MEMBERSUITABLE FOR PIERCING A HERMETICALLY SEALED PRODUCT CONTAINER ATTACHEDTO THE PROPELLANT CONTAINER IN A MANNER SUCH THAT ONE END OF THE HOLLOWNEEDLE-LIKE MEMBER IS IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THE PRODUCT FLOW LINEAT THE PLACE WHERE IT EMERGES FROM THE PROPELLANT CONTAINER.